Same companies, new names

Two defence companies have announced changes to their names, effective immediately.

Queensland aerospace company TAE has officially changed its name to TAE Aerospace.

According to TAE Aerospace chief executive Andrew Sanderson, the change reflects the company’s commitment to providing the broadest range of aerospace products in Australia, as well as its plans to play an even bigger role in Australia’s aerospace industry in the future.

Sanderson said that focus and investment in the area of innovation would help TAE Aerospace to achieve its growth objectives, as well as help its customers to reduce costs and improve turnaround times. He said that the company was already making significant strides in this area.

"We started the year by winning the Aerospace Australia Civil Industry Innovation Award at Avalon Air Show for our wearable technology fountx. We were fortunate to partner with CSIRO to develop this technology which can help our customers save tens of millions of dollars in reduced maintenance downtime and costs," Sanderson said.

Along with a focus on innovation, the change to TAE Aerospace celebrates the company’s Australian heritage and ownership.

"We are now the largest 100 per cent Australian-owned aerospace company, and part of our rebranding process is to describe ourselves as ‘Australia’s aerospace company’. Taking that position in the market challenges us to set the standards for quality, safety and innovation for the Australian aerospace industry," Sanderson said.

Mr Sanderson said the change to TAE Aerospace had been well received within the organisation, and the new name would help both customers and staff to define what the company does and where it is focused.

Meanwhile, Rheinmetall Defence Electronics has become Rheinmetall Electronics. The company stated the reason for the change is due to the company's growing success in markets outside of the defence sector.

Explaining the change, Rheinmetall Electronics management said in a statement, "The name change in no way indicates a turning away from defence technology; far more, it expresses the expansion of our business operations. Our international growth strategy aims at positioning the company more strongly in civil sector markets, and to tap into new fields of business in addition to our traditional defence activities. Ultimately, the name change is a logical consequence of our already-established strategy of being open to new opportunities."